{
  "export": {
    "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/930",
    "note": "Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright in each message remains with the person who wrote it.  Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact.",
    "addresses": "obscured as 'user at host'"
  },
  "archive": "urth",
  "thread": {
    "id": 930,
    "subject": "Dial A Throne",
    "messages": 1,
    "voices": 1,
    "first": "1998-07-06T21:35:02+00:00",
    "last": "1998-07-06T21:35:02+00:00"
  },
  "messages": [
    {
      "message_id": "<urth-v0015-0143@digest.urth.net>",
      "from": {
        "name": "Robert Borski",
        "address": "rborski at coredcs.com"
      },
      "date": "1998-07-06T21:35:02+00:00",
      "subject": "(urth) Dial A Throne",
      "in_reply_to": null,
      "reply_link": null,
      "blocks": [
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "William Ansley, with NaCl on his tongue, has recently written:\n\n\"(By the way, could you please favor us with\nall the dirt on how you \"almost certainly\" work out that \"the name of\n'not-so-young man' in the 'bathroom' [is] 'John Clute.'\"?)\nBut if that's the case, then why is the bowling ball described as being on\nthe throne. (If a chair of massy gold isn't a throne, I'd like to know what\nis!)\"\n\nThe *bowl*ing ball is a misapprehended toilet *bowl*--note, each also has\nthe requisite three holes.\n\nThe \"arms of the chair\" slapped by the \"bowling ball\" is the toilet seat\nrim (usually horseshoe\nshaped) being dropped. And of course the throne is a \"throne\"--a very\ncommon euphemism for toilet here in the US (although usually it's referred\nto as a porcelain throne).\n\n\"John\" also means \"bathroom\" as in \"I have to go to the john.\" Clute\nfollows the same linguisitc morphing patterns as clue-cue-coot-cutie-cootie\net al. Hence \"John\" \"Clute.\"\n\nJust as a curious sidenote, it was in the writings of John Clute that I\nfirst discovered Number Five's name could be worked out to be Gene Wolfe.\nPerhaps having been queried about this by John (all entirely speculative, I\ngrant you), Gene Wolfe decided to show him how \"easily\" it could be done\nwith JC's name. Dunno.\n\nAs for what \"dialing\" is or isn't, you're free to accept whatever. But the\nsimple truth of the matter is that this IS what tuning in a TV channel was\ncalled during the heyday of my childhood, 50 years ago. We also may not\nhave had Channels above 11 in the beginning; hence the reference to no\nTV/maze at 12; but I'm not absolutely sure. (There were no telecasts that\nran beyond midnight at any rate.) One of my contemporaries found an old\nblack-and-white tv in his basement that was purchased in 1964 and it only\nwent to 13. Earlier versions--circa 1950--may have only gone to 10 or 11. I\nhave no immediate sources to check, but if I find out anything (I used to\nknow a physics professor who collected antique tvs, but he died several\nyears ago), I'll be happy to share. Maybe someone else could help?\n\nSo now too St. Paul is the patron saint of salt, William?\n\nRobert Borski \n\n "
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}